


Determination

by biffu



Series: SakuHina Week [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roller Derby, F/F, Gen, Roller Derby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 06:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2641106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biffu/pseuds/biffu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roller Derby gals are the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Determination

**Author's Note:**

> So not beta'd. Totally for SakuHina week. Here I show up a day late with derby girls. Can you blame me? I'm so not working on Nano instead I'm doing...well, this. Cuties with booties. Yup.
> 
> Word Count: 1561
> 
> Also: title is the actual prompt...

 

 

i.  
 

The scrape of the skates on the asphalt of the track forced Sakura to look in the direction of the newbies. Her bottom lip twitched with the beginnings of a smile or a smirk—she didn’t know which—and she just sat on a bench observing. There was a wide lineup this time around, much better than when she’d joined a year or so ago, and she was eager to see their skills. She stretched out her legs, letting her own skates roll on the floor softly as the whistle from the coach shouted for silence before the woman’s mouth did.  
 

“Alright, ladies! Here’s how it works--!”  
 

Tsunade’s booming voice filled the empty parking lot turned roller rink with an intensity that she carried on her person at all times. Sakura watched as a few of the girls twitched, one who was especially dainty and pretty with cascading midnight locks and clear eyes looked like she wasn’t going to last very long. Sakura almost wondered just why the  _hell_ she’d even joined in the first place, but then admonished herself mentally when she herself hadn’t been all that different when she’d been scouted by TenTen before.

Elbows digging into her fleshy thighs, Sakura listened to the same opening speech of not fucking up, looking like a fierce badass, and all types of feminist stanzas that would make even the most refined lady wet in the knickers. It didn’t take all that long for her to but in and rain on Tsunade’s parade, but once the woman got into the groove of her speech, sometimes she got too into it and unfortunately her right-hand Shizune was planning the next couple of games and practice sessions in the office, so Sakura had to pick up the slack.

Getting up from the bench, she easily skidded towards Tsunade, only stopping short in front of the busty blonde in her harem pants and comfortable blouse looking more like a dance instructor than a roller derby coach. Tsunade’s gaze hardened and she all but glared at the pink haired young woman, but took the hint. Instead of backing down however, she raised the whistle to her lips, making Sakura flinch once it rang in her face and hollered for them to get in position.

Sakura had no choice but to show the girls the starting position. Their aim was to skate like their lives depended on it first before they got into any actual heavy-duty plays. When she bent over and threw her gaze behind her, she noted that a few girls were checking out her ass more than she intended, and just for kicks even ended up wiggling it so they could bat their eyelashes of blush—the midnight chick as she dubbed in her mind did the latter. Sakura grinned.

Another piercing whistle made Sakura jumpstart into action. She glided through the ring, skating forwards, twisting somewhere in the middle, before ending up where she started completely overlooking the candidates backwards. She heard the girls gasping, saw some of them clutching their chest, but the midnight chick watched her with wonder instead of amazement and Sakura loved it. Who the hell  _was_  she?  
 

It didn’t take her that long to find out.

Hinata was unexpectedly fantastic at skating but when it came to bodily harming another person she totally fucked up. Sakura could see that this one had a heart of gold, but she wasn’t going to make it if she couldn’t ram her shoulder into another chick to knock her out of range. Sakura loved watching Hinata duck and dive, managing to weave through each and every one of her opponents as the day grew long and everyone else was growing tired, but she just couldn’t hurt someone else.

Or she just couldn’t  _yet._  


When the first five drills were over and those who couldn’t make the team were patted on the back and told “better luck next time,” Sakura skated over to Hinata’s bench and plopped down beside her. She breathed out, almost panting in order to puff out the bit of chest she had. Then again, she’d also noticed that Hinata was packing a lot more than her and was somewhat jealous as well as intrigued. The poor girl jolted, nearly dropping the skate that she’d taken off to let her feet breathe.

“Are you just too nice or do people scare you?”

Hinata put down the skate, fiddling with her fingertips and scanning around as if someone she didn’t want to see was in the vicinity. She couldn’t look at Sakura.

“W-Well, I-I…uhm…I-I just…” More fiddling. Sakura watched. “Seeing p-people hurt is j-just…” Even more fiddling. Sakura bit her lip. A laugh rose from her belly. “I-It’s n-not right..?”

Gods she was cute. Sakura slammed her hand down on the bench; Hinata flinched and stared up at her. Clear grey eyes opened wide, but not nearly as scared as she could have been. A question was evident in her face and Sakura swiveled her body right in front of her.  
 

“I’ll help you. Lesson one: everyone on the other side is your enemy. You have to take them out and then after the game you do take them out.” Sakura winked. Hinata put her skates back on and they drifted back into the ring.

Bits and pieces of gravel crunched under their skates as the pair of them flew around the track. Sakura pointed out their elbow pads and safeguards and what-have-you but Hinata was still very wary about causing any kind of bodily harm. She was totally against the ferocity of bringing another girl to her knees from elbowing her in the side or pushing her so hard that she flew off the track. She asked if Sakura ever broke anything from doing the sport.

“I’ve actually broke a tooth and been covered in bruises. Worth it.”

Hinata was horrified, but she came back the next few weeks. Sakura eased her into pushing and shoving and elbowing and bruising. It was the little things. She had to make sure to tell Hinata that she knew all about the areas to hit which would cause harm and which wouldn’t. There were areas of the body that hurt more than others but which bruised less or bruised too much. Hinata was fascinated and perturbed, but Sakura kept her around like a protégé. Hinata was to Sakura as she was to Tsunade.

Or so she thought, until a game finally happened.

It was fun, it was heavy, it was hot, and it was easy.

And Sakura  _lived_  for it.

Hinata did  **not.**  


The crowd was loud, writhing like another entity altogether, and it intimidated her to no end. She tried to focus on her opponents but they were all gritty and spitting and seemed too old for this sort of thing and she pretty much recoiled on sight and the brunette bunhead of their team only pinched her arm before winking. She took deep breaths when they got into position after dressing themselves up in protective gear. Everyone had hardened expressions but she looked more like a deer in headlights and gulped when the blow horn went off.

Hinata sped, Sakura elbowed, and the rest of the team did a combination of the two. The game was a whirlwind of pushes and shoves and tries to reach the ultimate goal. Because Sakura had taught her so well, Hinata managed to conquer her fear of coming into contact with another player. She had loved the thrill of moving around constantly, not having to think so much about what she was doing or what could happen in the next few moments, and when it came towards the end of the rounds, she took off too hard and nearly came off the track.

An opposing girl elbowed her in the side hard. Hinata was winded, but thankfully hadn’t fallen. She just got sidetracked, and had to breathe. Sakura called out to her and noticed that her expression went from frazzled to focus in a minute. Green eyes caught clear ones for a fraction of a second before Hinata sped off again, this time with a vendetta. She bypassed players on both teams before getting to the girl who elbowed her; she smiled beautifully staying side by side and didn’t let her get her again.

Instead, the girl got  _got._  


Hinata didn’t let the girl score as she was supposed to. The split seconds between letting her and not, Hinata ended up shouldering her so hard that the impact sent her whirling off the track and onto her ass. The girl hit the side posts that sheltered the players from the crowd that roared for Hinata.

Tsunade’s team won shortly after that.

Sakura took off her helmet; she panted and yelled along with the crowd, calling out for them to chant harder. They did as she commanded, pumping fists in the air and calling out seemingly random numbers that was on the back of the girls’ jerseys. Hinata’s was among them and she blushed once she realized it. A laugh of disbelief crept from her throat just as Sakura caught her blushing and settled for wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Soft lips pressed against Hinata’s cheek turning their pink tint into crimson and embarrassing her further.

  
Hard work paid off  ** _indeed._**  


 


End file.
